Conveying device



E. H. ULLMAN Nov. 29, 1966 CONVEYING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Swat 1 Filed July 16, 1964 INVENTOR VE/T7 H/LME/F VAL/WAN ATTORNEY Nov. 29, 1966 E. H. ULLMAN 3,288,479

CONVEYING DEVICE Filed July 16, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet mvzgmm. EfiRT HI MER ULMAN m v his ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3 Claims. c1. 280-35) The invention refers to a conveying device provided in particular for the transportation of furniture, such as chairs, tables, bed, etc., and consists of a number of supporting arms equipped with caster wheels which arms are equipped with recesses to accommodate the furniture legs.

The known devices of this kind are mostly fashioned in the manner of a pair of Nuremberg crossarms whereby the supporting arms cross over one another and are adjusted in each case to the dimension and shape of the object to be transported by means of clamping screws movable in longitudinal slots provided in the supporting arms.

Other types are known too, in which however the supporting arms are likewise shaped so as to be connected with, and/or adjustable with respect to, one another.

The purpose of the invention is the creation of a conveying device which can be adapted to the size and shape of the objects to be conveyed without any special adjustment and bolting of the supporting arms.

In order to obtain the formation of the supporting arms required, for example, for the transportation of furniture, as a result of the distance between the furniture legs, each supporting arm in accordance with the invention is capable of swinging in the horizontal plane around a guide element arranged on a common connecting piece.

In accordance with a further development of the invention, two connecting pieces with two each pivoting supporting arms may be swingingly arranged on a common connecting piece.

In the following, the invention is explained in detail with the help of the attached drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the device in accordance with the invention having four supporting arms;

FIGURE 2 shows the device in accordance with FIG- URE 1 in rest position folded together;

FIGURE 3 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the centrally located guide means is formed as several pieces joined together; and

FIGURE 4 shows a modified device in which slits are used to provide greater adjustibility for the arms.

As may be seen in FIGURE 1, the conveying device consists of four supporting arms 1 which at their free ends are equipped with one caster wheel 2 each fastened by means of a known mechanism 3. At their opposite ends, the supporting arms 1 each swing horizontally around a pin 6 on a common connecting piece 7. The connecting piece is equipped with a handle 8 by means of which the device may be hung up, whereby the supporting arms 1 are folded, as may be seen in FIGURE 2. Each of the supporting arms is provided with a recess in the form of a cavity 4 to accommodate and fasten each leg of a chair or the like. As shown in FIGURE 4 the end portion of each supporting arm at the pin 6 may be provided with a longitudinal slit 10 whereby an additional possibility for the adjustment of the supporting arm is offered.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, two supporting arms each, for example, may be pivotingly arranged on a common connecting piece 11 and 12 respectively and these two connecting pieces may then pivot in the horizontal plane on a common intermediate piece 15, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The conveying devices shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 are each disposed in a furniture carrying position; that is a position wherein a chair, table, bed, or some other piece of furniture with extending legs has each of its legs disposed in the receiving cavity 4 of a corresponding supporting arm 1.

In both FIGURES 2 and 4 the conveying devices are each shown as disposed in a storage or rest position wherein the supporting arms 1 are positioned in a sideby-side parallel relation with each arm 1 adjacent at least one other arm 1. This relation can be obtained because in the storage position, the pin connections or pivotal joints 6 are disposed in-line, whereby a straight line segment can be drawn connecting the axis of each of the cylindrical pins 6. Additionally, each of the pins 6 is disposed in both carrying or storage positions so that its central axis is parallel with the axis of each of the other pins 6.

I claim:

1. A conveying device for furniture and other articles having extending legs, said device being movable between an article carrying position and a storage position and comprising a plurality of support arms, centrally located guide means, each said support arm having at least one caster wheel, each said supporting arm having a pivotal connection with said guide means and being formed with an elongated intermediate cavity positioned between its caster and pivot thereby to accommodate furniture of different sizes, said guide means supporting said pivotal arms to maintain said pivotal connections substantially parallel in both said carrying and storage positions, in said storage position each said pivotal connection being positioned sufficiently co-linearly to permit each said supporting arm to be aligned in a substantially parallel side-by-side relation.

2. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that said guide means comprises two connecting pieces having each two of said pivoting supporting arms, and an intermediate piece between said connecting pieces and pivoted thereto.

3. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1 characterized in that said guide means is provided with slits in which the respective pivots for the supporting arms are mounted so that the pivots may be displaced in the longitudinal direction in said slits.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 241,809 5/1881 Long 280-35 1,887,06'7 11/1932 Pehrsson 280-35 3,058,755 10/1962 Baron 280-35 3,105,698 10/1963 Bonarrigo et a1. 280-47.13

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

M. S. SALES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CONVEYING DEVICE FOR FURNITURE AND OTHER ARTICLES HAVING EXTENDING LEGS, SAID DEVICE BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN AN ARTICLE CARRYING POSITION AND A STORAGE POSITION AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUPPORT ARMS, CENTRALLY LOCATED GUIDE MEANS, EACH SAID SUPPORT ARM HAVING AT LEAST ONE CASTER WHEEL, EACH SAID SUPPORTING ARM HAVING A PIVOTAL CONNECTION WITH SAID GUIDE MEANS AND BEING FORMED WITH AN ELONGATED INTERMEDIATE CAVITY POSITIONED BETWEEN ITS CASTER AND PIVOT THEREBY TO ACCOMMODATE FURNITURE OF DIFFERENT SIZES, SAID GUIDE MEANS SUPPORTING SAID PIVOTAL ARMS TO MAINTAIN SAID PIVOTAL CONNECTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY 